Damaged Goods
by tyro12
Summary: Harry just got rejected. But then he gets another chance. Can he get over his own insecurities?
1. Chapter 1

Working Title – Damaged Goods

Harry awoke with a start, just like he always did, and reflexively groped around for his glasses, until he realized that he wasn't going to be able to reach through the curtains of his four-poster to get them. He closed his eyes again, and grunted out the same word he'd been grunting every morning for over a week.

"Fuck." Harry felt self-loathing like never before for twiddling his thumbs like the idiot that he was, until the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes was _just_ beyond his grasp. He had been just a _teensy_ bit too late last Thursday. He had always displayed boatloads of that vaunted Gryffindor courage and bravery. "Just not when it _fucking_ counted" he mumbled under his breath, ready to punch through a wall. Then, without warning, his bed's curtains flew open and a strangled cry of "HARRY!" came through.

"HARRY! Wake the bloody hell up, we've got 20 minutes to get to Transiguration, or McGonnagall will have our heads on a platter! Commmmmmee OOOOONNNNN!" Ron yelled, shaking his best mate by the shoulders.

"ALRIGHT, OK! No need to break my neck, Ron" Harry grumbled, as he rubbed his shoulders, "never thought you'd be giving the wake up calls around here."

"I'm hungry, mate. Like, huuuungry. Put some pants on."

"Right. Pants." Harry and Ron dashed down the steps from the 4th year boys' dorm and out of the portrait hole, making it down the Grand staircase in record time, even going so far as to hop a few small gaps when the stairs weren't moving fast enough for their tastes. They reached the Great Hall panting, and ran down to their usual spots, plopping down onto the bench and sliding to a halt in front of their plates.

"Perfectly executed, mate" Ron said, as he already stabbed two sausages with his fork, while grabbing for a bowl of oatmeal.

"Least we didn't end up with our heads in the soup like last time."

"That's only 'cause there _was_ no soup this time."

"I see I'm taking a toll on your optimism."

"It's just the hunger. My instincts take over, you know how it is" Ron said in between chews, bits of sausage flying out onto the surrounding table.

"How pleasant it is to observe your table manners, Ronald! Honestly, if we weren't good friends I'd hex your mouth closed for an entire week" Hermione exclaimed, having sat down just a few moments ago, and delicately picking at her pancakes, while just as delicately pouring maple syrup from a saucer.

"Let's just chomp in peace, no time to talk" Ron chewed. Harry snorted, and Hermione looked ready to use one of her heavier textbooks for something less than academic. Soon, the trio was rushing back up the Grand staircase, this time forced to wait by a terrified Hermione who was deathly scared of heights. Particularly moving ones with minds of their own. They arrived in the Transfiguration classroom, only to retreat to the farthest corner of the room under the stern gaze of their Head of House.

In the evening, after classes were out for the day, Hermione had run off to the library, as per usual, to improve her already done homework, Harry supposed. He wasn't really sure what exactly she did in the library, but it showed in her marks, whatever it was. Harry and Ron walked slowly and aimlessly down a corridor on the fifth floor, shooting the breeze about Quidditch and other things. Suddenly, though, the conversation started careening downhill.

"So Harry, what are you gonna do about a date for the Ball? You know the Champions have to go. With a date, that is" Ron intoned, genuinely curious. At the same time, walking down a a side corridor connecting to the one Harry and Ron currently occupied, was Cho Chang, loose hair swinging lightly behind her as she carried her books back to Ravenclaw Tower. She was about to turn the corner into the more brightly lit hallway, until she heard Ron's question, and realized who was with him. She froze in her tracks, shrinking into the shadows, not wanting to risk an awkward meeting. Not because she disliked Harry, mind you, but rather because it made her stomach knot up knowing that The-Boy-Who-Lived harboured a crush on her. But, she thought to herself, that's in the past, and he's surely moved on to any of the loads of other witches who wanted nothing more than to give themselves to Harry Potter. Besides, she reasoned, I've got Cedric now, and he seems to like me a great deal. And he's just _so_ sweet and polite, I couldn't just turn him down, or leave him now. It was just too late for second thoughts.

"I have no idea, Ron. No idea" Harry spoke, ignorant of the pretty Ravenclaw just around the corner.

"Well mate, you can't just keep waking up like this. Don't think I don't notice that the first word out of your mouth every morning is _Fuck_."

"I'm an idiot Ron. An idiot through and through. Last month, I outflew a goddamn Hungarian Horntail. Bill said that's the most dangerous species in the world! And I can't find the gall to ask out a girl! Argh!" Harry grumbles mostly to himself, kicking the wall of the corridor.

"I reckon that's the Death Eaters' new strategy then. Line up a bunch of pretty girls, and have them strip naked when you walk into the room. You'll drop dead on the spot!" Ron laughed gleefully, doubling over.

"Yeah, some way to die _that_ is." Ron heard the tone change in Harry's voice. And promptly straightened himself out.

"Listen mate, you've got to stop dwelling on her. There are more girls that would kill to go with you than Malfoy has Sickles in his vault! Pick one of those!" Ron huffed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't want _a_ girl, Ron. I want _that_ girl." Harry stopped walking, dangerously close to the corner Cho was still hiding behind. "You know what? I know _just_ what I'm going to do. I won't go to the Ball. Every one is treating me like the dirt on the bottom of their shoes since my name popped out of the bloody Goblet of bloody Fire anyway!" Cho's eyes widened as she heard Harry's grumbled declaration.

"Seriously mate, you can't just _not_ go! So Cho rejected you, whatever. You'll live just like you always do."

"That's the thing, though, mate. She didn't reject me. That would be so much easier to deal with. God only knows I spent 11 years in a fucking _cupboard_." At this, Cho's eyes widened even more, if that as possible, and her brows furrowed. "No, I can deal with rejection. But she said, she did, 'I'm so sorry, Harry, I would've gone with you, but I've already said yes to someone else." She would've gone with me! That's why I wake up cursing in the morning. Now can we drop this? I'm going to start bouncing curses off the walls soon." Harry let all this out in one large breath, panting at his own incompetence. Cho finally understood what the conversation had been about from the very beginning.

"Hold on mate. One more question, then we can drop it. This is the test you have to take."

"Yeah, what?"

"When you spot her for the first time in a day, what do you see first?"

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, what part of her do you notice first?"

"Oh. Um. Well. Her hair."

"Her hair?"

"Yeah."

"Well... What about it?"

"The way it catches the light. At the right angle, it looks like... never mind."

"Oh come oooooooon. You can't just leave a man hanging like that. Like what?"

"Like... the night sky, when you can see the stars. It shimmers like no one else's. I could pick her out in a crowd of a thousand people in five seconds flat" Harry sighed. He was pathetic.

Just around the corner, Cho completely dumbfounded, having expected his answer to be her breasts, or her nicely rounded behind. Her preconception of Harry Potter was slowly fading, and she was starting to regret saying yes to Cedric, but there was nothing to be done about it now. He was _still_ too sweet to ditch. Harry and Ron passed right by her as she flattened herself against the shadowy wall, unaware that their talk had been something other than private. Cho forced everything except Charms out of her mind, and walked purposefully the rest of the way to Ravenclaw tower.

Tuesday passed without incident for Harry and his friends, except when Ron accidentally turned his Strengthening Solution green instead of pale yellow, and then flung it onto the floor when it began to hiss loudly. The resulting crater in the floor had Snape in fits until the end of the day.

Wednesday morning came with the usual swearing, but this time Harry woke up first, finding that he had plenty of time to coax Ron awake and get down to breakfast. Entering the Great Hall bleary eyed, Harry and Ron sat down at their usual seats once again. After having their fill, Harry and Ron headed off to Charms, Hermione electing to eat a bit more, which surprised both boys. After Charms, and then Care of Magical Creatures, and finally Divination (Harry was due to die any moment now), Ron had run off to find Dean or Seamus or someone or other. Harry hadn't been really paying attention. He walked without looking, reminiscing about his first year here, and how he had changed since then. Eventually, he found himself in the same corridor of the classroom that had housed the Mirror of Erised, in which he had had his first real glimpse of his parents. Then he remembered the mirror's true purpose, unveiled later in the year, and the horrible end to his first year. Harry's mood darkened considerably, and his gait took on a more feral attitude, as if he were wading through a pool.

He nearly tripped over himself when a faint and choked sob broke the rhythm of his footsteps against the stone floor. He stilled, and drew his wand, quickly pinpointing the source of the sound as a classroom not far from the Mirror's former one. Harry approached as silently as he could, the alarm he was feeling making him forget to cast a silencing charm on his shoes. As he neared the door, he found it ajar, but with no light coming from inside the room. Sticking his head through the gap in the door, he saw that the only light was coming from the moonlight beaming in through a window. In the far corner, a girl was curled up in a ball. Harry was much too far to make out who it was, but he felt his stomach clench as he thought he saw a familiar shimmer.

_Merlin's balls, what if it's Cho?_

_Should I leave?_

_NO, stay and find out what's wrong!_

_But it'll be awkward!_

_ARE YOU THE FUCKING BOY-WHO-LIVED OR NOT? You call yourself a Gryffindor. Honestly._

_Oh, bollocks, here goes nothing. _

"_Lumos_", Harry whispered, his wand now emitting a pale blue light, imitating his mood and uncertainty. The girl's head shot up as she felt the light assault her eyes. Harry cursed violently inside his head. There could no longer be any doubt that the girl was Cho, but he would be damned if he didn't go over there and fix whatever was making her cry right now. Hearing her cry was making his chest constrict in ways he had never felt before. It was not a good feeling.

"Cho? What's wrong?" Harry whispered, afraid that a louder tone might startle her.

"H-harry? What are you doing here?" She whispered back, tear-stained cheeks now visible in the moonlight.

"I could ask you the same thing. I was just wandering around by myself, when I heard you... crying, and-"

"Strolled in with your wand out?" She giggled, a tiny smile gracing her face before she seemed to remember whatever she had been crying about before and seemed even more downcast.

"Well. Gryffindors aren't exactly known for their subtlety." She offered another tiny smile at this, but there was no giggle this time.

"So, why _are_ you crying in a dark classroom?"

"It's... nothing important. Don't mind me, I'm just being a crybaby" she sniffed, staring intensely at the floor, still sitting with her back against the cold wall.

"Well, now that I'm minding you anyway, would you tell me what's going on?" He asked gently, not wanting to upset her, and marvelling at how much easier he found talking to her when he was concerned.

"Well, I... I... kind of don't have a dress for the Ball" Cho sniffed again, ready to burst out crying, but forgetting about crying completely when Harry sat down right beside her, their sides practically touching. Harry in the mean time was screaming inside his head, an odd comparison to the near total silence outside his body, unless you counted his heart, which he was trying to calm, but was still beating loud enough that he was sure he could've led a marching band with it.

"Did you forget... or lose it, or something?" he asked, resolving to maintain the soft tone he was using, as it seemed to have stopped her crying for the moment.

"No. My mom spent a really long time picking one out for me, and sent it to me with our family owl. Zheng got here yesterday morning, with the letter attached, but-"

"No dress" Harry interrupted, having understood the problem. Cho nodded, and looked sadly at her shoes again. "So what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. I just don't know" Cho gave a slight snort, remembering hearing Harry saying the exact same thing a few days prior. "I was thinking of trying to transfigure a dress somehow, or asking Professor MacGonagall to help me do it. But I don't think she would."

"Yeah, that doesn't strike me as her thing. Any other ideas?"

"Maybe I could- wait. Why are you being so... friendly and nice to me? I turned you down for the ball." Cho's frown deepened to more than Harry had ever seen before, and he swore the Battle of Britain was playing in her eyes.

"That's true, but that doesn't mean we have to avoid each other like the plague," Cho blushed at this, knowing this was exactly what she had been doing. "I consider you a friend of mine, and I _always_ help my friends." Cho's eyes widened, he sounded as if he knew exactly what to do about her dress problem. Meanwhile, Harry had processed what had just come out of his mouth, and he felt as if he could fry eggs on his face right at the moment.

"Th-thanks." She whispered, hugging her knees to her chest.

"No problem, Cho," Harry said, smirking, the blush evaporating. "Now, come on. We're going to get you another dress. Tonight." With this, he got up off the floor and held out his hand to Cho, who stared at it for a few moments before remembering where she was, and reaching for it. Blood rushed to both their faces at the contact, but they quickly let go and exited the classroom.

"So, where are we going?" Cho asked, feeling more comfortable around The-Boy-Who-Lived than ever before.

"To Gryffindor tower for a little bit. I need to pick up two things before we go."

"Where exactly do you plan to go at this time of night?"

"_We, _not I, are going to Hogsmeade."

"WHAT?!" Cho nearly yelled, startling a sleeping portrait who started mumbling about disrespectful kids these days.

"That's right. Now, no more talking, Filch likes to prowl around here," he said, effectively ending the conversation, for the moment at least. After instructing Cho to hide behind a suit of armour, he woke the sleeping Fat Lady, who begrudgingly let him in, and came back out only a minute later. Except, when the portrait swung open, no one came out. The Fat Lady didn't seem to notice, but Cho had narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a strong arm encircle her waist, and another clap over her mouth, muffling her shriek of terror. They stayed in that position for a few seconds, before Cho wriggled away.

"O-oh, sorry Cho. Didn't mean to, touch, er... let's move along then."

She marvelled at the invisibility cloak, crouching much lower than necessary under it, forcing Harry to pull her up from crawling every once in a while.

"Clearly, you don't break curfew often," Harry grinned.

"Clearly, you break curfew much _too_ often" Cho replied, equally grinning. She stopped grinning as they neared the exit towards the school grounds that led first to the Whomping Willow, a place that Cho had never willingly visited. They came out into the cold night air, and they both shivered as they advanced upon the relatively calm tree.

Careful not to get too close, Harry whispered to her, "Stay here. I have to do something before we can leave." Cho looked at him with a hint of fear beginning to show on her face. Without warning, he ducked out from under the cloak, and took off at full sprint towards the Willow.

_My, he's fast_, thought Cho, watching wide-eyed as Harry dodged the now flailing branches, and dive towards a seemingly random spot on the tree's roots. The Willow immediately stilled, and Harry waved in her general direction for her to move forward. Her head appeared floating in mid-air, and Harry smiled, remembering the first time he had used his father's cloak.

After some coaxing, Cho had been convinced to enter the muddy and musty passageway under the tree, and Harry and her had come out inside the Shrieking Shack, much to Cho's confusion.

"Where are we, Harry?" she asked, finding herself easily speaking to him, the awkwardness replaced with awe at this boy that was full of surprises.

"We're in the Shrieking Shack?"

"What? I heard this place is haunted. Should we be here? And it's night time too." Cho shivered.

"No, Cho, it's ok. This cabin was never haunted. But forget about that. Let's keep going." And with that, he led her out of the shack, and down the hill into the tiny village of Hogsmeade. Cho was amazed at how still and quiet everything was, only having seen the place at midday. Harry was navigating in the dark, and before Cho knew it, she was getting tapped on the shoulder. She turned, and saw that they were standing in front of Gladrags Wizarding Wear.

"But, Harry, it's closed. All the shops are. It must be 11 o'clock already." Cho looked crestfallen, having failed before they even started. But Harry smirked again.

"Ah, but you forget who you're walking with. Surely the owner won't be too bothered to sell The-Boy-Who-Lived a dress?"

"But-"

"No. I said I would help you, and I'll be damned if you're not wearing a dress tomorrow!" Harry raised his voice just a bit, and Cho blushed, knowing he was serious.

"Why... Why are you doing this? It just seems, so, I don't know, counter-productive? You know I'm going with someone else to the ball, but you still want to help me look pretty?" Harry chuckled, seeing an opportunity to squeeze in a smooth compliment.

"You don't need any help looking pretty. I'm just helping you get a dress." Cho blushed furiously, knowing she had walked into that one, but rather enjoying the attention. She had to admit, she liked Harry's occasional boldness, a quality that her Hufflepuff date did not possess. While she was lost in her thoughts, Harry had knocked on the door, and a rather flustered middle aged woman in a nightgown was at the door, wand pointed right into Harry's face.

"Hello Madam! I realize this may be an inconvenient moment, but I was wondering if perhaps we could trouble you to buy a dress."

"_Lumos!_ _Are_ you a lunatic, young man? I nearly- Oh, blimey. Harry Potter. So sorry, I forgot myself for a moment there, I'll just be a moment," she squeaked, and disappeared behind the door of the shop, and in a few short moments came back dressed in professional attire, and lit some magically brightened candles around the store. "Please come in, take as long as you like, whatever your companion likes, I can fit to her size right away," the woman bustled around.

"Oh, she's not my companion, she's just a friend," Harry said, with a hint of sadness in his voice, one that Cho heard as if it had been announced through a foghorn. However, the realization soon kicked in that, thanks to him, the entirety of Gladrags was open to her, and only her, and, giving off a squeal, she bounded straight for the rack of on sale dresses. Harry noticed this, and frowned.

_Maybe that's why the dress her mother had sent had been so important to her. _

_Maybe she couldn't afford another one. _

_Well, none of that tonight. _

If Harry had one thing left over from his parents, it was the Potter fortune. He slowly but surely walked up behind Cho, who was quickly flitting through dresses, and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact, and spun around quickly.

"What's up Harry?" she smiled brightly at him, but it quickly turned into a frown as she noticed his face.

"Why did you go straight for the clearance rack?" Harry asked, trying to employ whatever shred of tact he had, and failing miserably.

"Um..." Cho started, and then promptly bright red in embarrassment. Her family, having spent a great deal of their life savings immigrating to Scotland, was not what anyone would call well off, and Cho was simply in the habit of always looking for the discounts. "I, erm..." Her face at that point was so red, it could have stopped Muggle traffic in the street. Harry had found out all he needed to know, and guessed the rest. He swiftly turned to the owner.

"Madam Samson, would you please vanish the price tag off of every dress in this shop?"

"Er, certainly, Mr. Potter. May I ask why?" Harry smirked.

"They get in the way." The woman nodded, and waved her wand. All the price tags immediately disappeared.

Cho's face still resembled a stop sign, and she was staring at her shoes so hard that Harry seriously considered whether it's possible they could catch fire. He walked back towards her, and waited until she looked up at his face. He had on his kindest face as he spoke.

"Now. You're going to pick out a dress that you really like, and I will pay for it." Cho's eyes widened, and she began to protest.

"But, Harry, I can't just take your money like that, and I... don't think I'll be able to pay you back," she said quietly. Harry knew full well how it felt to never have the things you wanted, and to have to make do with the cards you were dealt. He turned to fully face her and look into her dark brown eyes.

"You're not taking my money, I'm giving it to you. And if you even _try_ to pay me back, I'll double the amount in your vault. So unless you want to turn into a puddle of embarrassed goo, I'd suggest you start at the back of the store." Cho had stopped blushing, but her eyes were so wide, they may as well have popped out of her head. Harry began to get worried when he saw her tear up, and was downright alarmed when a tear rolled down her cheek. She dropped her head, and her shoulders began to shake as tears now fell freely onto the hardwood floor. He had seen Hermione do this a few times before, and knew that words were over-rated in these kinds of situations. He covered the distance between them in a single step, and put one arm under her arm, holding her head to his shoulder, and the other around her waist, holding her close. There was nothing awkward about the way this happened. It was simply one person who had been devoid of comfort for most of his life offering it to another.

After a few minutes, Cho pulled away, and Harry let her go. The store owner had busied herself behind the counter, studiously observing her patron's privacy. Cho looked up at Harry once again, and spoke shakily.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For holding me while I cried." If she had not spoken from the bottom of her heart, this would have been the sappiest thing she had ever said.

"No one ever held me while I cried. I know how it hurts." Cho looked more determined than she had a few moments ago, and dared to ask him what had been eating her.

"Did you really... live in a cupboard for 11 years?" As soon as the word "cupboard" left her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake. Harry's tender face melted quickly into one that looked so haunted, so tortured, that she nearly broke down again.

"How- When- Ah. Right." Harry spoke in quick succession. "How much did you hear?" Cho hoped to perhaps pass it off as gossip, but she knew the battle was lost. Harry Potter may have been in Gryffindor, but he would have done well in Slytherin.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Cho's face took on a defeated air, and she made to reply.

"Everything." Harry nodded, resigned to his impossibly bad luck. And it had been going so well too.

"Well then," he sighed, "there's nothing I want to say to you that you don't already know." She saw his resigned face, as if he had accepted whatever cruel joke fate was playing on him. Cho stepped closer to him again. He looked up, clearly expecting her to run away, or demand that he take her back to Hogwarts this instant. Instead, though, she leaned into him.

"Do you really think my hair shimmers like the stars?" she asked in a tiny voice. He let his lips form an equally tiny smile.

"Only in the right light."

"That is the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me." She leaned in even closer. Their lips were about to touch, and Madam Samson had turned around, and was busy dusting every surface in sight with her wand. Suddenly, Harry pulled away from her, and spoke very quietly.

"No. Don't waste your first on me. I couldn't even properly ask you out. You'll find someone who deserves you. I'm not that person." Harry looked dejected again, and Cho, not for the first time tonight, felt her heart break, and wondered what this boy had lived through.

"I think you are, though." And, before he could run away for her own good, she put both hands on the back of his head, and gently touched her lips to his. He stood stock still for a few seconds, before he gave in to the drunken party going on in his head, and wound one arm around her waist, putting the other on the small of her back, slowly stroking through her Hogwarts jumper. Ever so slowly, their heads exchanged angles, before they pulled away. Harry looked like he'd been nailed in the back of the head with a bludger, and Cho had a radiant smile on her face. "Harry. I really want you to take me to the Ball." Harry's face now reflected the impact of a large squadron of bludgers.

"But- You're going with- erm, Cedric." Harry looked saddened as he came out of his little moment of bliss.

"Cedric likes me. I know he does." Harry looked up at her. His expression didn't change for the better. "But he doesn't look at me like you do." As comprehension dawned like a sun across the valley that was his mind, his expressions quickly shifted into a smirk.

"And how do _I_ look at you, _Miss Chang_?" Harry asked, letting her last name roll off his tongue, pulling her closer at the same time. Cho's breathing quickened.

"I- I don't know, exactly. But it's... different than any of the other boys."

"Do you want to know what that look means?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded a few times, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "It means that you're the most beautiful and special girl in the world." He gave her a short but firm kiss, and then pulled away, feeling her try to follow his lips. "So, may I consider you my _companion_?" Cho smiled widely, and kissed him just like he had kissed her. "Well, that's great, because I've exhausted my supply of being smooth and suave for a couple of weeks."

"Was it worth it?"

"Yeah, you are." Harry suddenly turned a deep shade of red, matching Cho's earlier stop sign appearance, after realizing exactly what and how he had said to the beautiful Chinese girl, at that moment, as well as in the minutes before. He shook his head to clear his mind and face, and grabbing Cho by the shoulders, spun her around. "Now," he said in an authoritative voice, "pick your dress!" Cho squealed as she ran towards the back of the store, and started flitting through every single dress in earnest. Harry put a contented expression on his face, and walked over to Madam Samson.

"Thank you for your discretion. If my... companion finds what she wants here, I'll be sure to mention you the next time I give an interview." The woman thanked him profusely, and begged him to take whatever dress he wanted for free, but Harry wouldn't hear of it.

After a very long hour of Cho collecting dresses of all sorts, she began to try them on. The time was now past midnight. She put on every imaginable colour and style, from strapless gowns, to a tight black mini-dress, to a dress that seemed to be made of spider webs, but was completely opaque. Eventually, after gauging Harry's reaction to each one, she chose a longer version of the tight black dress she had shown him earlier. Harry felt elated at the look on her face, when she saw that it was a designer dress, evidently feeling lucky to even be touching it. Harry pulled her to the counter, and he saw Cho's happy demeanour evaporate, instead replaced by shame. Harry knew he had to act quickly. He spun her to face him, uncaring that the store owner was staring straight at them. He mustered every ounce of truth and passion he had within him, and quickly pushed down the embarrassment.

"Cho. Look at me. If I had to give up every last knut in my vault to make you happy, I'd sign the contract in my own blood before you'd have time to find me a quill." Cho teared up again, and Harry let go of her, and asked Madam Samson, who was herself moved close to tears by Harry's proclamation, to replace all the price tags onto the dresses. One appeared right on the hem of Cho's dress, and her eyes widened as she stared at the number.

"452 galleons? That's- I- You can't-"

"What did I just say?" Harry asked her, cupping her face.

"But it's-"

"What was the last thing I said to you, Cho?" She couldn't answer. Harry was content to leave it at that.

"By any chance, Madam Samson, does this dress come with a matching pair of shoes?"

"Why, indeed it does. They are much less expensive than the dress, I daresay." she intoned as the shoes materialized at the flick of her wand. "I'll do it all for 500 galleons, no less, no more."

"Excellent. Would it alright to pay in cash?"

"That would be quite welcome, Mister Potter. I hate dealing with those blasted goblins any more than I have to!" The woman placed the dress and shoes into an elegant black velvet box.

"Would you mind shrinking it? I'd like to carry it in my pocket, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course, not a problem, Mister Potter," Madam Samson said, and waved her wand at the box, which instantly shrunk to about the size of Harry's palm. He placed it in his pocket, and led the still speechless Cho out onto the dark main street of Hogsmeade.

"I'm glad you found a dress. And those shoes will look perfect on you, I bet. I should've asked if you already had shoes, but you were kind of indisposed," Harry said with a chuckle. Cho stopped walking, and pulled him by his collar straight onto her mouth. They remained in this position quite a few minutes, before the cold got to them, and they ran back to the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry opened his eyes, and gave a deep sigh. The top of his four-poster had never seemed quite so beautiful. He spent a good five minutes examining every little detail, memorizing it. Eventually, though, his stomach gave a tremendous growl, and Harry slid off the bed, threw his Charms textbook at Ron's sleeping back, and trotted off to the showers, scratching his head. After a brief but refreshing shower, and an even briefer wrestling match with his hair, Harry and Ron made their usual way down to breakfast in silence.

"So," Ron said, sitting down at the table, "you didn't wake me up today with a curse word today."

"That's true." Harry said, trying and failing to look thoughtful for a second. "I guess I didn't."

"Oh come on, don't leave me hanging, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, nothing's going on!" At this, Ron just snorted, which turned out to be a bad idea while drinking pumpkin juice. A bit came out of his nose, and back into the cup, so Harry turned away. And immediately choked on his toast. Cedric was standing beside Cho, at her table, smiling brightly. Cho looked like she was going to start crying at any moment. Slowly, ever so slowly, Cedric's expression reversed completely, and he let off a strangled cry of "WHAT!"

Harry was trying to move the rest of his toast into his mouth while still looking at the developing crisis two tables over. He completely forgot about the toast in his hand when Cedric began to walk quickly down the length of the Ravenclaw table. He turned abruptly, drew his wand, and began at the same pace down the Gryffindor side. By this point, most of the occupants of the Great Hall, including a fair few of the teachers, was watching Cedric, wide-eyed. Dumbledore, however, seemed completely unconcerned, and continued to eat his porridge as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, mate, I don't think this is a social call." Ron whispered in a high voice.

"Ohhhh, shit." Harry whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

_FUCK! He obviously didn't take the news well._

_Dick._

_Well, I can either fight him, or I can just deflect and hope he'll stop._

_Who are you kidding, Potter? What would you do if you had Cho, and then you lost her?_

_Yeah, that's... fuck. Fight it is, then._

"_Protego!_" Harry enunciated, as a Stunner flew his way. He jumped out of his seat, and paused. Cedric was about to speak.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I... don't think you want me to answer that." Harry blurted out, only just realizing that he had just riled the Hufflepuff up even more.

"You..." Cedric took a deep breath, "stole her. From me."

"I didn't _steal_ her, she LEFT!"

"SHE WAS MINE! YOU BASTARD!" A white jet of light erupted from Cedric's outstretched wand, but Harry was ready before the spell even left. He waved his own wand, clearly said "_Finite!_" and Cedric's spell blipped out of existence, just faded away. However, he was forced to erect a Shield charm when three more jets shot towards him. Harry promptly decided that it was time to stop the bullshit.

"_Impedimenta, Stupefy, Protego!_" Harry yelled in quick succession. The force of his spells against Cedric's shield actually pushed the Hufflepuff back a few feet, but he remained on his feet. "_Expelliarmus!_" Both boys yelled at the same time, and two identical jets of light impacted halfway between them, but Harry's completely overtook Cedric's, and Cedric was knocked right onto his back, his wand halfway across the hall, in front of the teacher's table. Cedric was scrambling back to his feet, ready to continue with his fists, but Harry knew he had to finish this in style if anyone was going to learn not to duel Harry Potter.

"_Aguamenti!_" Harry shouted, and a massive amount of water burst forth from his wand, impacting and covering Cedric in a split second. "_Congela!_" Harry shouted again, and the water froze into a solid block-like shape around the Hufflepuff.

_Do it, Potter. Show him what YOU'LL do for Cho!_

_NOW!_

_GO!_

_DO IT!_

_Oh for fuck's sake, all right, already!_

Harry locked eyes with Cedric, whose own eyes were darting around his frigidly cold prison. "_DEPULSO!_" The block of ice containing the Hufflepuff flew like out of a cannon, and smashed into the far wall, shattering into a million crystals, and dropping a shivering and terrified Cedric onto the floor. Harry stowed his wand back into his pocket, and walked straight out of the Great Hall, not bothering to look back. He seemed to walk purposefully, but really, Harry had no idea where he was going. He only stopped when he realized he was at the shore of the lake, and plopped down on the grass staying that way until the sound of footsteps forced him to turn around.

"Ah, Harry. I'm terribly sorry to disturb you," Dumbledore spoke, his beard fluttering in the wind. "You must be very angry at the moment, but I thought I should let you know that a certain Ravenclaw can be found in the Charms corridor."

"You mean Cho?" But Dumbledore had already walked away, hands behind his back. Harry stood up, and sprinted to the Grand Staircase. On the way up to the fifth floor, he noticed that more than a few people were looking at him differently, almost... with respect. Harry turned a corner, and saw a small figure huddled in a corner beside a suit of armor. Harry paused, standing completely still. The silence was complete, and Harry was certain that Cho wasn't crying. He approached her as silently as possible. About halfway there, Cho heard Harry's shoe scuff the floor, and her head shot up, looking straight at him. Nothing was said as Harry reached her, and sat down beside her, their backs against the wall.

"Are you angry at me?" Harry asked cautiously.

"What?" Cho looked shocked. "No, of course not. I just wish... Cedric shouldn't have attacked you."

"I'm sorry about that, but- I had to stop him. And at the end... I guess I just wanted to, I dunno, teach him a lesson." Cho snorted. "And did you hear him talk about you? Bloody hell, I think he had a leash he wanted to put on you!" Cho smiled at this, and looked back at him.

"Well, I want nothing to do with him anymore." Cho wondered for a second if she had made the right decision the previous night, but then she remembered what Harry had done for her, expecting nothing in return. Harry watched her facial expression change a few times, before deciding to speak up.

"Cho?" She turned her head to him, and pushed herself at him, landing somehow draped over his legs, their lips already touching. Harry was blown clear out of the water by her reaction.

_I don't understand females. But I don't understand them in the most pleasant way possible. _

The kiss was light and fleeting, but to Harry, it felt as if it lasted a good 15 minutes. She looked up into his eyes, smile a tiny smile, and sighed.

"Thank you. For standing up for me. And.. for the dress. And shoes." Cho had begun to blush again, looking down at her hands, still somehow sitting in Harry's lap. Wanting to avoid an awkward moment, Harry put his arms safely around her waist, careful not to touch anything he shouldn't (yet), and hugged her tightly.

_Hey! You feel those things against your chest? What do you suppose THOSE are?_

_SHUT. UP. I don't need to hear you right now. What if I get... oh God. See what you did? Now what?_

_QUICK! Take her to the lake! STAND UP I SAY!_

"Cho." Harry thought for a second that she had fallen asleep, but he had a developing crisis in his pants, so he could waste no time.

"Yes?" She answered, looking sweetly up at him. Harry couldn't resist pecking her quickly on the lips, before pulling both of them off the ground, and taking her hand. Cho blushed at the sudden kiss, not initiated by her this time.

"Let's go to the lake." Harry said, not waiting for an answer, and began walking with her down the corridor. Cho just smiled slightly, and continued to walk with him. As they went down the Grand staircase, various people stared at them. Cho's smile widened dramatically, and Harry blushed, as they walked out of the Entrance Hall, and onto the grounds. She started running towards the lake shore, but Harry didn't, instead choosing to let her go ahead. His gaze wandered, and eventually came to rest on her pleasantly round bottom.

_You're doing it again. Not that I disagree, that is quite a nice piece of-_

_STOP. Cease. And desist. Can't I just have five minutes of innocent, non-perverted PEACE?_

_No. I swear to you, by the end of the night, you will have felt that. In your hands._

_What do you mean, night? _

_Today, my good man, is the Yule Ball. And that bottom is your date._

_YOU KNOW, that bottom is attached to a PERSON! _

_And thank the Lord for that. _

Harry slid to a halt beside Cho, and lay down on the grass. She fell backwards, and ended up with her head on his chest, both of them looking up at the clouds. They stayed like that, each pretending to study the clouds, but secretly contemplating the contact they were making with each other.

"So. The Ball is today." Cho said quietly, still staring at the lake. She felt Harry's arms tense slightly.

"Not having second thoughts, are you?" Cho sat up abruptly.

"NO! Of course not." She laid back down.

"Oh that's good. I haven't forgotten that the Ball is tonight."

A/N: Might add more to this chapter, or maybe just put it in the next one. Awk ending, yeah.


End file.
